Soggy fields plague the eastern, southern Corn Belt

Across the Corn Belt, showers and a few thunderstorms are sweeping across the Ohio Valley and the lower Great Lakes region. Meanwhile, wet snow is falling in the vicinity of Lakes Superior and Michigan. Precipitation is beneficial in the drought-affected upper Great Lakes region, but maintaining soggy conditions in parts of the eastern Corn Belt.

On the Plains, mild, dry weather prevails. Gradual recovery from last year’s historic drought continues on the southern Plains, where sub-soil moisture reserves and reservoir supplies remain limited in many areas.

In the South, light rain showers are returning to the lower Southeast in the wake of recent, drought-easing precipitation. Meanwhile, the central Gulf Coast region is experiencing pockets of lowland flooding, following last week’s heavy rainfall, which totaled 4 inches or more in many locations from Louisiana into southern Alabama and western-most Florida.

In the West, disappointingly dry weather persists. Currently, precipitation is mainly confined to the northern Rockies and the Pacific Northwest. Last week, widespread showers dotted much of the West, but precipitation totals were generally light and resulted in little change in the developing drought situation.

A mild weather pattern nearly nationwide will be replaced by colder conditions late in the week across the Plains and the Northwest. During the weekend, below-normal temperatures will arrive in the East, while a new surge of cold air will reach the northern Plains.

The next several days will feature a series of fast-moving storms, with generally light precipitation focused across the North and East. Heavier precipitation will be mainly confined to the Northwest and from the central Gulf Coast into the lower Great Lakes region.

Elsewhere, dry weather will prevail from central and southern California to the central and southern Plains.

Looking ahead, the 6- to 10-day outlook calls for below-normal temperatures from the Pacific Coast to the Plains and upper Midwest, while warmer-than-normal weather will be confined to the Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic States. Meanwhile, near- to above-normal precipitation across the majority of the U.S. will contrast with drier-than-normal conditions from California to the central and southern Plains.